Poultry News

Egg Production up in Gujarat

13 December 2013

INDIA - Against the availability of 53 eggs per annum per individual in the country, a Gujarati gets only 23 eggs per annum. Officials of the animal husbandry department, however, said that Gujarat state has moved up in production.

According to The Times of India, with egg production reaching 145.58 crore in 2012-13 from 82 crore in 2007-08, the state now ranks 10th in the country compared to 14th in 2008.

The latest report of the state government states that egg production in 2012-13 increased by 9 per cent from the 2011-12 figure of 132.69 crore. Anand remains the top egg-producing district followed by Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad.

The production in Anand was 70.29 crore, followed by Bhavnagar (23.94 core) and Ahmedabad (10.03 crore). The three districts accounted for over 70 per cent of the total production. According to the officials, 85 per cent of the total production is consumed in the state and the rest sent to other states, mostly to Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Apart from these two states, Gujarat also sends eggs to neighbouring Rajasthan, the officials added. "According to a report, consumption has increased by about 50 per cent in the past few years, mainly because the younger generation is preferring eggs," said a senior official.

Prakash Patel, one of the poultry farm owners in Dharmaj, said that there has been a sharp increase in consumption in the state. "Earlier, over 60 per cent of the villages in Gujarat had not tasted an egg, but this figure has now gone down to only 15 per cent," he added.

According to Hemant Patel, a poultry farm owner in Anand, the industry is facing several problems. "Costs of maize and other foodgrains have increased. If we increase egg prices, it would become unaffordable for common people who take it as a substitute to vegetables," said Patel who sends over 60 per cent of his production to Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.